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Greek Treats
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Finikia (spiced cookies)
1 cup Wesson oil
1/2 pound butter, melted
1/2 cup orange juice
1/4 cup sugar
1 egg yolk
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon ground cloves
1 teaspoon brandy
6 cups flour (more or less)
2 teaspoons baking powder, heaping
SYRUP:
3/4 cup sugar
1 1/2 cups water
1 cup honey
1/2 juice of lemon
NUT MIXTURE:
1 pound pecans or walnuts, finely chopped
1 tablespoon sugar
1 teaspoon cinnamon
Preheat oven to 400 degrees. In bowl, beat oil and butter for about 15 minutes. Add orange juice, sugar, egg yolk, cinnamon, cloves and brandy. Gradually add flour and baking powder.
Knead mixture until ball is formed and mixture no longer adheres to side of bowl. Cautiously add more flour, if needed. Pinch off small pieces of dough, flatten in palm of hand and roll into oval shape. Place on ungreased baking sheet.
Bake 10 minutes. Lower temperature to 325 degrees and bake 25 minutes, or until browned. Let cool.
Syrup: On stove, combine syrup ingredients in pot and bring to boil; cook 15 minutes. Dip cooled cookies into hot syrup and turn several times. Remove with slotted spoon and place on cookie rack to drain.
While cookies drain, combine nut-mixture ingredients and sprinkle over cookies.
Koulourakia (twisted butter cookies)
1 cup butter
1 cup sugar
4 eggs, divided-use
1 teaspoon vanilla
2 teaspoons baking powder
4 to 4 1/2 cups flour
1 tablespoon water
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Cream butter with sugar. Add 3 eggs (one at a time) to butter mixture and blend well. Add vanilla and continue beating. Combine baking powder and flour and slowly add to egg-and-butter mixture; blend 1/2 cup of flour at a time until dough leaves sides of bowl. Work with hands until pliable. Dough should be soft.
Pinch off about a golf ball-size piece of dough, roll into 7-inch-long rope, fold over into U-shape and twist. Place on cooking sheet about 1 inch apart. Beat egg with 1 tablespoon water. Brush each cookie with egg mixture. Bake for 25 minutes, or until golden. Yield: 4 dozen.
Baklava
3 1/2 cups walnuts, chopped
1/2 cup sugar
3/4 teaspoon cinnamon
1 cup clarified butter
1 pound phyllo
SYRUP:
3 cups sugar
2 1/2 cups water
Juice of half a lemon
Strips of orange zest (optional)
Preheat oven to 325 degrees. In bowl, combine walnuts, sugar, cinnamon and butter; set aside. In pot, combine syrup ingredients and simmer for 5 minutes. Butter 9-by-13-inch baking pan and line with 5 sheets of phyllo pastry; brush each sheet with butter evenly. Spread some of the nut mixture over fifth sheet.
Cover with two buttered pastry sheets. Spread more nut mixture and continue layering, using 2 sheets of buttered phyllo. Reserve 5 sheets buttered phyllo for top. Once prepared, cut baklava in diamond-shaped pieces using sharp knife. Place pan on center rack of oven and bake for 30 minutes. Move pan to top rack and bake additional 30 minutes. Remove from oven and pour cooled syrup over hot baklava. Yield: 3 dozen.
Kourambiedes
1 pound butter, whipped
3/4 cup confectioners sugar
2 egg yolks
1 teaspoon vanilla
1 ounce brandy or whiskey
3/4 cup chopped almonds (toasted)
1 teaspoon baking powder
5-6 cups flour
Confectioners sugar for topping
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Cream butter, add sugar and beat until light and fluffy. Add egg yolks, vanilla and brandy and beat thoroughly. Add nuts. Sift flour and baking powder and carefully blend into butter mixture. Dough should be soft and pliable. Shape into crescents or balls. Place on baking sheet and bake for 20 minutes.
Sift confectioners sugar onto wax paper. Carefully place cookies on sugar and sift additional sugar over top and sides. Cool thoroughly before storing. Yield: 4 dozen
Source: Greek Gourmet Treats (St. George Greek Orthodox Church)
Tsoureki (Greek Easter bread)
1 cup sugar
1 teaspoon salt
2 packages dry yeast
8 cups flour (approximate)
1 cup butter
1 cup milk
1 cup water
5 eggs
Preheat oven to 325 degrees. Mix sugar, salt, yeast and two cups flour in large bowl. In saucepan add butter, milk and water and heat on low. Add butter mixture to dry ingredients. Beat two minutes on medium speed, occasionally scraping the bowl. Add four eggs, one at a time and one addition cup of flour. Beat at high speed for 2 minutes, scraping the bowl. Stir in enough flour (4-5 cups) to make soft dough.
Place dough on floured surface and knead until elastic, about 10 minutes. Place in greased bowl, turn and cover. Let rise until double in size (about 2 hours). Punch down dough and divide into thirds. Divide each portion into thirds again. Roll each into rope about 18 inches long. Braid ropes together and place in greased 9-by-5-inch pan. Repeat with remaining dough to make 3 braided loaves. Mix egg with 1 tablespoon water and brush top of loaves with eggwash. Let rise again for 1 hour. Bake for 45 minutes, until golden. Cool 5 minutes and remove from pan.
Source: Greek Gourmet Treats (St. George Greek Orthodox Church)
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